It didn't take long for the skunk smell to start wafting at New York City's Mercury Lounge Wednesday night, as Portugal the Man took the stage for a mind-melting set of experimental blues riffing and good old-fashioned rocking out. The mutton chopped, mustachioed rockers set the tone right off the bat with psychedelic guitar effects and a wall of reverb, burning through a rendition of 'Church Mouth.'

The '70s vibe continued as the Alaskan rockers played a number of tracks off their most recent effort, 'The Satanic Satanist,' and as a testament to their popularity, their loyal fans had already learned every lyric barely two weeks after the album's release. Older material like 'Lay Me Back Down' showed the band's songwriting chops at their finest (the chiming, doo-wop piano was a nice break from the near-constant riffing) and crowd favorite 'And I' became a massive sing-along.

Though stage banter was mostly nonexistent, lead vocalist John Gourley did take a moment to acknowledge the new material. "We've been trying to learn these songs on tour," he told the audience. "It's crazy to learn songs in a f---ing 20-minute sound check." Those panicked rehearsals may not have even been necessary, as some of the strongest moments of the night were when the band let themselves get lost in extended jamming, like during a Police-esque reggae groove for 'Guns and Dogs.'

PTM got some nice support from opening acts Hesta Prynn and the Love Language, who may have found the perfect middle ground between '50s jazz crooning and Southern folksy charm (and can also boast having the most enthusiastic tambourine player alive). All in all, it was a solid night of rock and a great chance for a few hundred New Yorkers to see that there's more to Wasilla, Alaska than caribou and headline-grabbing politicians.